Woman at the WellThe Bible story, recorded in John 4:1-42, is a glimpse into the heart of a disillusioned Samaritan woman whose life hadn’t turned out as she hoped. Her dreams had died, her plans plundered, her vision vanished, and her goals were gone. Her journey had been the path of brokenness. Yet, she emerges from the broken fragments of her life prepared for the Master’s use. Through Jesus’ prophetic evangelism to this woman, the unseen treasure lying on the dark bottom of the well was revealed to her. He alone knew its hidden secrets. This meeting was divinely orchestrated. It awoke this hopeless woman’s hidden destiny. This story is a good example of the prophetic gift used in bringing the hope prophetic encouragement brings.
When this Samaritan woman was a girl, she dreamed of the day when she would be married and loved, cherished, and accepted by her husband. But the realities of life proved to bring her a much different destiny. When she was first married, she was a respected member of her community, but through the rejection of her five husbands, she is now a scorned woman. For women of her day there was no social security, no welfare system, no savings accounts, and no non-profit organizations to lend a helping hand to a divorced woman in need.
This Samaritan woman daily struggles against hopelessness, but to her credit she is a survivor. She resorted to using the one thing she had control over - her sexuality. She learned the hard way what it takes for a discarded woman to survive in a world where women are considered of lesser value than the cow their husband owns. Disillusioned with the sanctity of marriage she agreed to live with a man simply to have a roof over her head and a place to call home. She knew it was a sinful lifestyle. Yet, the alternative of trying to survive on her few resources was worth the trade off. For a divorced woman during her time was considered an object of humiliation and disgrace. She was shown no mercy.
As an outcast of her village, with her dignity stolen and her heart broken, shame covers her like a heavy filthy garment as her eyes reflect the darkness in her soul. She is relegated to a life of isolation. Others avoid her. She is labeled unclean. As she walks through the village, she avoids eye contact with those she passes. Her focus is fixed on the ground where the dirt serves as a constant reminder of her soiled soul. She even goes to the extent of coming to the well to draw water during the hottest time of the day. For it is then that the other women stay in the cool shade of their homes. This allows her to draw water without the condemning stares and whispers of criticisms slandering the few shreds of dignity she desperately holds onto.
At night, as she attempts to sleep, hot tears of anguish trickle down her cheeks. Thoughts of despair race through her mind destroying any remnants of hope. She can’t share her feelings with the man she is living with out of fear of experiencing one more rejection. Becoming vulnerable is not an option. The risk is too high. She is relegated to being a prisoner of an internal dialogue of discrediting accusations. Her thoughts are filled with an ongoing slide show of her degrading past and present failures. Aimlessly drifting in a sea of depression, life no longer offers her a good reason to go on living.
Through her pain, her barren soul wonders if the God her parents taught her about had rejected her also. God saw her brokenness and answered her questioning heart by sending Jesus to visit her. During their divinely arranged conversation at the well, the Lord gave this woman an opportunity to be vulnerable and transparent with him. Her choice to be honest was the open door Jesus used to give her the loving acceptance and dignity she desperately longed for. This encounter didn’t change her living circumstances, but it radically changed her heart. The lover of her soul set her free. She now has God’s stamp of approval. With a smile on her face, her head held high, compassion in her heart, and a spring in her step she runs to tell others about Jesus, so they too could receive the loving acceptance they longed for.